Pillows are commonly employed for the support of a human head during sleeping activities. Typically, the pillow is made of a cushioning material which allows the head to rest in a comfortable and natural position above the bed. Pillows are often made of feathers, foam, or other suitable cushioning material.
Unfortunately, conventional pillows often do not facilitate sleep when the user is sleeping in an unusual or an awkward position. Under many circumstances, the user of the pillow will sleep with his or her arm resting below the pillow or below the head. During such sleep activities, circulation is often cut off to the arm by the weight of the head resting on the arm. Many times, such persons awake in the morning only to experience a numb arm. This loss of circulation to the arm can be harmful to the health of the person.
In the past, various U.S. patents have issued on special pillow designs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,580,210, issued on Apr. 13, 1926 describes a pillow that includes a specialized ear slot for receiving the ear of the sleeper. A handrest is positioned on the bottom side of the pillow so as to accommodate the human hand during the sleep activities. The ear is received within a slot formed through the surface of the pillow. A strap is provided on the back side of the pillow so as to fasten the hand therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,707, issued on Nov. 3, 1959, to M. L. Lawser et al. teaches a bag lounge that includes a pair of pillows. One of the pillows is of a inverted U-shaped design which allows the human head to rest thereon. The arch-like member, used as this pillow design, includes an interior area which is not suitable for receiving human arms therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,106, issued on Jan. 30, 1968, to Yao et al. teaches a pillow which is designed to accommodate a human nose and, optionally, human ears. Special slots are cut into a tubular member. These slots have a size suitable for receiving a human nose therein. The openings of the tubular configuration allow the person to breathe while sleeping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,906, issued on May 20, 1975 to A. Sumpter teaches a sleeping pillow with tunnel-like openings for receiving the arms of the sleeper. As such, it aids in positioning the sleeping's head with respect to the pillow and prevents the cutting off of circulation in the sleeper's arms. Each of these slots are cut into the pillow so as to fix the arms in a position removed from the head. The head rests in the area between the arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,543, issued on Mar. 23, 1982, to L. H. Dixon teaches a medical pillow providing stabilized support for the head and neck of the user. The pillow includes a convoluted upper surface. Conventionally, this upper surface is of an egg-carton configuration. The surface of the top is convoluted to provide more uniform vertical support and improve lateral support for the head and neck. No provision is made for the accommodation of the sleeper's arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,007, issued on May 20, 1989, to Davis, Jr. et al. teaches a pillow of resilient material which has a generally rotatable portion for supporting the cervical region of the user. When a user's neck is received across the pillow, the rotation of the cervical role, in conjunction with collapse of angled chambers defined within the resilient pillow, establishes traction in the cervical region of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,068, issued on Jul. 25, 1989, to Walpin et al. describes a multi-dimensional pillow. This pillow includes a core having a cross-sectional thickness gradient along one dimension and at least one geometric piece attached to the core parallel to the direction of the thickness gradient. When the user is in the back-lying position, the geometric piece maintains either the normal lordotic curve of the neck or flexion of the neck and the thickness gradient biases the head in the downslope direction so as to cause a controlled rotation of the head resulting in a traction effect on the upslope side of the neck.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus that allows the user to sleep in a conventional position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus which prevents the loss or reduction of circulation to the lower arm or hand.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus that establishes a minimum height for the head which allows the breathing passages to maintain an approximately horizontal position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus which prevents the crushing or folding-over of the ear during sleep activities.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus that maintains the spine in an approximately straight line.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus which is compact and which eliminates large unused areas of most pillow.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pillow apparatus that facilitates the placement of mechanical or other breathing aids to the person using the pillow.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a compact, integral unit, which self-induces proper positioning through the arrangement of an ear receptacle.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.